Sunflower
by CappuccettoRosso
Summary: There are some things that should not be hidden, nor denied. Love is one of them...


**Sunflower**

_CappuccettoRosso_

**Beta:** None

**Universe:** Manga

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing(s):** Sawada Shin / Yamaguchi Kumiko

**Genre(s):** Romance / General / Drama

**Warning(s)**: None

**Disclaimer:** _Gokusen_ is the intellectual property of Kozueko Morimoto, and its publisher, _Shueisha_. I am only borrowing its characters for my own amusement. No profit is being made in the publishing of this story.

**Author's Note #1:** Written for LJ Dove_Drabbles Comm.' May prompt: "_Encourage your sense of daring_."

**Author's Note #2:** I am not wholly pleased with this story. It is not precisely the idea I was going for, when I first considered the prompt; however, this is what came out in the end. Perhaps I'll write a remix, or something along those lines, at a later date. In the mean time, you have this and I truly hope all of you like it, just the same.

_Summary: There are some things that should not be hidden, nor denied. Love is one of them..._

* * *

..._no_, _the heart that has truly loved never forgets,_

_but as truly loves on to the close,_

_as the sunflower turns on her god, when he sets,_

_the same look which she turned when he rose._

-'Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms', by Thomas Moore

:::

"You know, you don't have to keep making excuses for us to see each other."

Shin hardly blinked at the tangent. The only indication that gave away his surprise was Shin pausing mid bite to give her a long look. Kumiko could hardly hold his piercing stare for long; she looked away. She stared out to the rest of the small restaurant. This close to the university, the majority of the customers were students. They gathered in groups, pleasantly lively, and in twos, intimately together.

A year ago, even four months ago, being surrounded by such an obviously young crowd, Kumiko would have found herself sitting here feeling highly uncomfortable. It didn't matter she was only a few years older than them, not even thirty—their obviously youth made her terribly self-aware of who she was.

More importantly, of _who_ she was _with_...

"I don't know what you mean."

Kumiko smiled a little. She eyed Shin from the corner of her eye. "Shin-_san_, you are scary smart. Probably the smartest person I'll ever meet. Please, do us both a favor and quit acting dumb."

She faced him fully and smiled a bit wider. "I know what you've been doing for the last year and a half. The pretenses you've offered me to protect my, ah, sensibilities, even when I didn't ask you to."

Shin frowned a little, more than likely already read her intention. He had always had that knack, of reading her like a book. She never could hide anything from him, doubted she'll ever would, or care to learn. She had no fear of being burned by Shin; he was always careful.

He reached for her.

"Kumiko..."

Her smile slowly faded as Kumiko grew serious. She grabbed his hand in both of hers. "No, Shin-_san_, I want to say this. I need to get these words off my chest. I've been thinking about it for the last two months and I...

"I'm just saying you don't have to anymore. I'm...I'm not afraid to admit the truth, not anymore. Not in the face of your continued devotion."

She licked suddenly dry lips and forged on. "Anyone else in your position would have given up, but not you. You stayed, even when I heartlessly refused to acknowledge your feelings."

She smiled painfully. "I'm ashamed to admit that I was determined to believe that we were just friends, that your love was an infatuation that would soon fade if I kept ignoring it. That this feeling inside of me was mere friendship. It wasn't, though. What I felt was not friendship. It was too powerful and brilliant and beautiful and...undeniable."

She took a deep breath, fortifying her resolved to see this through. She had planned to come clean with Shin, not hide from him anymore. She needed to do this, now.

"I...I love you, Shin-_san_," she said quietly, honestly; the weight of her confession making her bottom lip tremble. "So much..."

Something like guilt, mixed with painful relief and sheer joy washed through her as she watched Shin react to her words. He closed his eyes and practically savored her them, soaking it up like one would the warmth of the sun. It humbled her that he would take so much obvious pleasure in something so simple. At the same time, though, it made her breath hitch and her eyes burn, since there was nothing simple in her words. There was a power in both saying 'I love you' and hearing it, one she had denied both of them from experiencing.

Shin opened his eyes and the emotion in them made Kumiko's heart skip a beat. _Not anymore_, she promised to herself as she gazed back at him. _I won't __ignore this love between us__._

Kumiko sighed in relief and practically beamed at Shin. Her wide smile lessened, but never lost any of its intensity, when Shin leaned over the table for a kiss.

This time, Kumiko met him halfway.


End file.
